Three people are dead, including two Grand Canyon University students, after an overnight wrong-way crash on the Interstate 17 in north Phoenix.
The incident happened just after 2 a.m. on Friday at Greenway Road.
Phoenix Fire Captain Reda Bigler says two vehicles were involved in the crash with two people in one vehicle and one person in the other vehicle. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety says, the collision involved a wrong-way vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-17 and Greenway.
According to information at the scene, the wrong-way driver has been identified as a 22-year-old man. He was driving a silver Chrysler Sebring. The other two victims are women who were sisters, ages 19 and 20, who were in a white Pontiac. Their names have not yet been released.
Two people involved in the crash were students at Grand Canyon University. The school sent the following email to students on Friday morning:
“It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that we share the news that three people, including two students from Grand Canyon University, were killed in a wrong-way driver accident last night on Interstate 17. Names have not been released pending notification of families. As a close-knit community of students, faculty, and staff, please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers during this tragic time. Pastor Tim Griffin’s office and the entire Student Affairs staff will be available in Building 26 to assist any students who need support or counseling.”
The school says the driver of one vehicle was a GCU student and one of the two sisters in the other car involved was a GCU student as well.
Northbound lanes of I-17 were closed for several hours but reopened after 8 a.m.
